Chapter 1: The Start (Pt. 1)

EVERYONE was holding their breath and staring intently at the actors as the scene between Ara, Logan, and Sab became more emotionally intense.

“Why? Logan, why did you do this to me?” Ara expressed doubts, her eyes welling up with tears of grief and sadness.

“Ara, will you listen to me first? Sab and I are—”

Logan had just about to say something when Ara interrupted him.

“No! I’m not interested in your fucking explanation!”

“But—”

Logan’s words were cut again when a strong slap landed on his face.

“Ara! That is not something you should do to Logan!” Sab remarked, then quickly checked Logan’s face. “Are you all right, Logan?” She wondered out loud, deeply concerned.

Ara wiped her tears away and disgustedly clicked her tongue.

“Ara, please stop being rude to us and allow us to explain—”

“Neither you nor Logan’s explanation is considered necessary. You both betrayed me; a betrayer’s explanation is never accepted or believed!”

“Ara, I know you’re emotionally upset, but please listen to us—”

Ara clacked her tongue again. “Angry? No way, no how! Why the hell am I going to get mad at both of you?” Ara said uproariously, specifically looking at Logan. “You who’s been my boyfriend for 10 years”—and then turned her gaze to Sab— “you who’s my childhood friend just completely betrayed me. I’m not extremely upset!” She went on to say.

“Ara—”

“I’m absolutely horrified!” She went on. “If you really want him, you should have told me, Sab, and I’m willing to give him to you.”

“I sincerely apologize—”

Ara cut Sab off once more. “There you have it! Please take him! I don’t keep garbage like him,” she said. “Trashes should stay in the trash can. I’m grateful you cleaned it up for me.” She added in a sarcastic tone.

“Please, Ara, don’t be like this. You are aware that you are the one I genuinely love—”

Ara gave Logan and Sab a searing death stare that would cut them in half. “Stop the nonsense, Logan! I couldn’t care less about you!”

“Ara—”

“Cut!” The director yelled angrily at the top of his lungs. “Cut! Cut!”

Everyone on the set was staring at the enraged director.

“Why? Why?” he inquired repeatedly. “Whom the hell altered the script? Who?” He yelled angrily and looked around the set at everyone.

As the director continues to rage, no one dared to answer his question and remained silent.

“Oh, no!” Cyrille hissed as she heard the enraged director yell. “I have to—”

Cyrille couldn’t finish what she was about to say when she heard the director call her name.

“Cyrille! Where is she? Bring her to me immediately!” the enraged director demanded.

“Damn it!” Cyrille cursed again and was about to take her next step to escape when one of the staff told the director where she was.

“She’s here, director!”

The director gave Cyrille a look that indicates she was about to be swallowed alive and whole.

“Bring her here to me! Now!”

“Fuck!” she cursed as she closed her eyes in distress.

“I apologize, Cy. But we don’t want to be showered with the director’s rage,” Randy apologized, grabbing Cyrille’s arm and dragging her to the director.

Cyrille did not try to argue in order to avoid further conflict that would land her in serious trouble.

“You!” The director angrily pointed to Cyrille with the rolled manuscript. “How dare you change the lines of the actors, ha!” he asked, his eyes wide open with frustration.

“I just did it to make the scene more realistic—”

“Realistic?” The director sarcastically repeated. “How much do you know about the realistic scene, ha?”

Cyrille remained silent and bowed her head.

“You know absolutely nothing!” The director exclaimed emphatically. “You,” —he began to poke Cyrille’s shoulder with the rolled manuscript— “don’t you think you know everything?”

“I just—”

Cyrille couldn’t finish her sentence because the director smacked her in the head with the rolled manuscript.

“You know absolutely nothing! So don’t be arrogant on my turf, where I’ve spent the last 20 years of my life establishing my name and position!” he yelled, hitting Cyrille on the head once more.

Cyrille remained silent, clenching her fist tightly to prevent herself from retaliating against the director.

The director used the rolled manuscript to lift her face. “You are merely a writer, and I am the director. Without me, your shoddy work will go unnoticed. I’m the one who pays you, Cyrille, so know your place. And stay away from my domain!”

The director averted his gaze after humiliating Cyrille.

“What exactly are you doing? Return to your work!” he exclaimed emphatically, and everyone began to move and return to their work.

He turned to look at Cyrille before leaving. “Cyrille, this is your final warning. If, you, do it again, I will ensure that you will never be able to work in this industry again!” He threatened and left.

Cyrille closed her eyes, pressed her lips together, and took a deep breath to relax. “I detest this!” She fumed as she looked at the director. “Would my work be known without you? You’re the one who has to pay me?” she said sarcastically, clicking her tongue. “That’s bullshit! Even without you, my work will be recognized! And, yes, you pay me, but without my crappy work, you wouldn’t be able to earn millions or billions of dollars! That’s freaking rich coming from a credit grabber, a mighty knows-everything and money sucker like you!”

Cyrille left the set disgusted to cool her head, which was boiling with rage and frustration for the director. She went to the woods to vent her rage, but her phone suddenly rang.

“Who is it now? Who’s going to add fuel to the fire?” She muttered as she picked up her phone and saw Irina’s number. “What’s going on with her right now?” She rubbed her brow before answering the phone.

“Irina—”

“Zai! Have you already seen the news?” Irina inquired as soon as she picked up the phone.

“What’s the big deal, Rina? Is there something wrong?”

“Now look at the news! Faster!” Irina stated.

“All right, all right, give me a minute,” she replied.

Cyrille, perplexed, checked the XNN news to find out what Irina was up to.

“Another man was discovered dead in Piatra Cralului National Park. According to the police, a group of hikers discovered Jordan Lambert’s lifeless body on the forest road leading through Zărneşti Gorges. Like the previous killing reports, Mr. Lambert has also two bite marks on his neck that may be the cause of his death. The authorities are still investigating what is causing these killings in order to find the perpetrator as soon as possible. However, there is speculation that these killings are carried out by an incredible creature...vampires. However, we live in the twenty-first century, and vampires existed in the fifteenth and eighteenth centuries. Is it possible that they are still alive? What are your thoughts? Manuel Wet is here to report.”

“What the—”

“Isn’t that totally absurd? Vampires? Nowadays? Are you deadly serious?”

“I can’t believe it, Rina,” Cyrille made a point of saying, attempting to get back her senses.

“Zai! Zai! Get up!” Irina said, snapping her fingers to jolt Cyrille out of her total shock—or feelings of pleasure. “Zai!”

Cyrille made a full recovery when Irina called her name aloud.

“Oh? I’m here,” she said without thinking at the time.

“Do you understand what this means?” Irina made comments, her face beaming with excitement.

Cyrille’s lips pursed. “Yes,” she exclaimed delightedly.

“Now is the time for...”

“Vlad hunt/Vlad hunt!”

They said happily in perfect harmony.

Both ladies squeal with great joy.

“Zai, this is the sign we’ve been desperately looking for!”

“Indeed! This is our chance to prove to the entire world that Vladimir’s bloodline does not yet end and that it continues to thrive even in the twenty-first century!” Cyrille gasped loudly with gusto.